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Search and Rescue personnel look for human remains in the Journey's End Mobile Home park following the damage caused by the Tubbs Fire on October 13, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California.

Fire crews were briefed and headed out to do battle. Survivors returned to the charred remains of their homes, picking through debris for anything recognizable. And families clung to the hope that missing loved ones were still alive.

As the sun rose thick and orange Friday in Northern California, there was heartbreaking routine to the ongoing wildfires catastrophe.

Stories of some who lived through the inferno by standing in backyard swimming pools this week spread. In the town of Sonoma, evacuation orders began days ago, but a few residents still were trickling out. As they left, some opened their gates and tacked up handwritten signs: “POOL IN BACK,” just in case someone needed access.

Fire crews worked feverishly, setting back burns to save homes, dragging hoses, watching the wind for gusts or shifts. The air was thick with acrid smoke.

“It’s a balancing act between using water to put out some of this big stuff and to save your water in case that side goes,” said Kyle Hawkins, a firefighter who traveled from Southern California with his crew.

CalFire Battalion Chief Joe Buchmeier said local crews were resolute, driven by the fact that their own neighborhoods were burning. Already several firefighters, including Calistoga volunteer fireman Buddy Pochini and Mill Valley Fire Chief Tom Welch, have lost their homes.

“Making people rest has been harder than making people work on this,” Buchmeier said. “It’s been a battle to try to get people off the line, including myself.”

Dozens of search-and-rescue personnel were on site, grimly searching for residents who didn’t make it out before fire swept through. A crew of men and women in white suits stood by to receive remains. Thompson said officials believed two or three more bodies would be recovered, but hours later when the convoy pulled out, led by three National Guard Humvees, officials declined to say whether any other remains had been found.

Behind the scenes, local leaders tried to facilitate school closures, emergency housing and other logistics. Midmorning, state Assemblyman Jared Huffman’s office announced in English and Spanish that federal law enforcement agents were suspending immigration enforcement in evacuation sites and assistance centers.

“My message to everyone in the North Coast and North Bay community, no matter their immigration status: stay safe, vigilant, and continue to follow all public safety warnings,” he said.